Success Stories—Pain

After two surgeries and more than a year of physical therapy, I was deemed permanently partially disabled. The reduced function of my leg and ankle were not nearly as debilitating as the daily pain I endured. Not wanting to spend my life on pain reducing medication, I opted to give acupuncture a try for the first time. In just two sessions, I experienced reduced pain and sensitivity in my leg and ankle. I also gained a better sense of connectedness and balance when exercising and even when simply walking. My quality of life has improved dramatically and my sessions are now focusing on other lingering issues that have bothered me for years. Acupuncture, combined with slight dietary changes and more exercise, has changed my life.

M.S., Kailua, HI

On the the up-side, I’m half way through the May yoga immersion weekend, and ended the day yesterday without any back pain (and skipping back bending). HOORAY, and THANK YOU!!!!

S.S., Durham, NC

I am about 90% recovered from my IC flare up. Thank you so much for your acupuncture treatment and use of magnets. They were a life saver for me as I started to get better immediately and each day I felt a little better. The pain of IC can really make it hard to do much of anything other than be in your house near a bathroom. I feel so much better now. Close to what I felt like before the flare- up. (my 100% feeling better would be different than someone without IC)

J.N., Durham, NC

A letter from a patient to his doctor:

Dear Dr. X,
Some weeks ago I saw you about my heel. My primary care physician had diagnosed it as plantar fasciitis and gave me some exercises for it. You confirmed that diagnosis and taped my foot; you also recommended a steroid shot, which I declined. I instead went to my acupuncturist at Oriental Health Solutions, for treatment.
You asked me to let you know how the acupuncture worked, so here’s my report.

1. The exercises did a good job of stretching the heel and relieving pain almost immediately.
2. The acupuncture also helped, and I’ve been able to walk with ease if I wear shoes with good arch support.
3. My acupuncturist also recommended I stop eating “nightshade” vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant) since I am sensitive to them. They have in the past given me arthritis in my thumbs, and my practitioner thought this might be part of the problem. We had been eating a fair amount of dishes with tomatoes at that time, and stopping did help.
In short, I am walking well and without pain. I still stretch my heels as I rise in the morning, “just in case”.

A.A., Durham, NC

My journey to No Foot Pain!
My issues first began back in August 2010 when I was walking in the mall to help my wife rebuild her strength and stamina when all of a sudden I got a shooting pain in the ball of my right foot. Not knowing what happened, I rested for a week and began to feel better so I started exercising, then all of a sudden the pain returned again. This time rest and icing did not relieve the pain so I went to see my PCP who ordered x-rays, these showed no fractures or breaks. By now (3 months in) I was having increasing pain and could not walk for any length of time, it even hurt to press the gas pedal on the car!
To make a long story short, the next 8-10 months I went to 3 different foot doctors, 2 cortisone shots, 1 MRI and 3 different orthotics to help with walking; still little or no relief. Now I could not even walk through the house without severe pain and ended up getting a knee walker to just get from one room to another. My 4th foot doctor finally gave me an accurate diagnosis and some form of relief but I was now more than 12 months past my initial injury and I did not seem to be making any progress, a very low point for me! This is when my wife urged me based on a recommendation from a friend to visit his acupuncturist at OHS. I was at the end of my rope and had nothing to lose so I made an appointment.
WOW – Wish I had known about OHS 12 months ago!! My first appointment was a major eye opener; we discussed my health, diet and history. My first order was to totally eliminate soy (I was having smoothies with soy milk on a daily basis!), second was to fundamentally change my diet by eliminating processed food and eating more like my grandmother did (real food!). We also talked about my kidney stone history (I have had and passed 10+ kidney stones mostly small but painful ones, still have 1 in my right kidney which the acupuncturist did not know about) at which, after palpating some “reflex points,” my acupuncturist indicated that the pain in right foot was from issues with my right kidney.
As we talked more and the acupuncturist learned of my kidney stone in my right kidney we discussed that the stone was a “foreign” object and my kidney was radiating pain to the ball of my foot and causing inflammation. I explained that my urologist did not recommend removing the stone because it was located in a very difficult location; so the acupuncturist gave me an herbal formula to keep it from growing. The comment I remember is “We’ll see if we can dissolve the kidney stone so it doesn’t contribute to your foot pain”. I was floored – you can dissolve it?! The reply was that it’s fairly routine to be successful in dissolving these stones and the only way to know was to treat it and then get a follow-up radiological exam to prove effectiveness. And there were other cases of kidney stones being dissolved in this practice which were completely successful. The other issue that my kidney problems were causing was it is limiting blood flow to my feet which meant that I am not getting good nutrition to help heal my foot.
After the discussion, I received my 1st acupuncture and I saw an immediate improvement in the level of pain, not gone but at least bearable. I have started on dissolving my kidney stone, it may take up to a year to complete but it beats either passing (OUCH!) or surgical removal. After 5 visits, 4 months of treatment, changing my diet and taking Chinese supplements I can begin to get around and have hope for a full recovery. For the first time in over 1.5 years I am able to pedal 20 minutes on a stationary bike and can begin my healing! I still have pain but it has dramatically decreased which I believe is related to the acupuncture freeing up my blood flow, the dissolving of my kidney stone and the major change in nutrition (bone broth, real food, coconut oil, no sugar etc.). Many, many THANKS to our friends and most of all to OHS! I am excited about my new journey to rebuild my health and hopefully without any more foot pain.

F.A., Raleigh, NC

You wanted me to check in this week about how the treatment is working. I have noticed a HUGE decrease in the hot flashes. Where i was having them about every couple of hours, i might have one a day. YEA!

Also, the supplement you gave me seems to have taken the edge off my arthritis. It is not completely gone, but improved. Would it be helpful for me to take the capsules 3 x a day instead of two?

B.W., Durham, NC

Hope you are having a great and beautiful day. I wanted to let you know that my mouth is improving—not 100% but definitely better. Oh and um, Myrrh tastes nasty too. But I can feel it working! It’s sort of amazing stuff I think. After reading about its healing and circulatory properties you can see why it was so highly valued ages ago. I’ve also put it on some of my superficial scratches and it seems to be healing them nicely.

Thank you for your care in all my matters and health concerns. I really do think you have a little magic in you that makes you so gifted! It is always a pleasure and a privilege to be treated by you.

Sincerely,

K.F., Raleigh, NC

Just wanted to let you know that after 10 days of the supplements I feel better than I’ve felt in many years. Still not feeling as good as I want to but much, much better. Still having some joint pain but it’s probably 60% of what it was before we started this. In fact, I’m sleeping much better than I’ve slept in years. The pain is no longer waking me up. Energy level is much improved. Blood sugar problems are almost completely gone. You are a miracle practitioner! Thank you from the deepest part of my heart. Can’t wait to come to North Carolina and meet you in person.

Standing ovation for YOU

K.Y., Richmond, VA

I want to thank you again for the generosity of your time and attention on Saturday. Your acupuncture treatment really made the remainder of the seminar much more comfortable for me. It also made me a fan of Japanese acupuncture. I look forward to learning more about it.

In Gratitude,

G. O., Greensboro, NC

Hello and happy Monday!

I have had you in my thoughts for several days and decided I should put the thoughts in writing. You have made me more comfortable with treatment and options than I have probably ever been. Typically, doctors just associate any concerns with my MS. And maybe that is justified. I am so excited about the idea that you can, and would, help me feel better. I am so tired of being achy and being tired all of the time. When I come in on Wednesday, I hope there will be some time that we might discuss. My back is SoOOOO much better!!! Thank you!!!!! Thank you!!!

Warm Regards,

F. W., Apex, NC

Back is feeling much better….thank YOU! I was so relaxed for a while and my back is feeling better even 3 days after my treatment. Maybe I am now HEALED!!!! Thanks again. Will tell my friend to contact you re her sciatica.

F. K., Durham, NC

As you could tell, I walked in yesterday in a fair bit of pain and rather discouraged that nothing could be done to make me feel better. Since I’ve never actually been in acute “pain” when I saw you previously, I never got to witness such a profound feeling of healing that happened immediately. I think that was the most profound transformation I have ever felt. Who knows, maybe all the things I have learned in the last few years have helped me to be more open to the amazing possibilities for healing that exist with your work. Also, this experience has helped give me more perspective and gratefulness for what is, is to just be living your life without chronic pain and I am hopeful I’ll soon be back on that path. I walked out of your office with a smile on my face and hope that there is a way to unlock this pain. As I mentioned, I felt like you were Emiril Lagasse in reverse in that you took it “down a notch”—really several notches….rather than up.

So far I had seen the ER doctor, my “official” physician who I rarely ever see, and my chiropractor, and you were the only person who actually examined my whole body and probed to find out where the weaknesses were. I had kind of forgotten about my bruised right side but I see that the reaction you got there really uncovered something important in this healing process. I can tell this area is still very fragile but I have not had that severe tightening feeling in my neck or head since I left your office. I am faithfully taking my trauma pills etc and will try to take it easy over the next few days and hope this holds. I look forward to my treatment next week! I realize I might still have some further work to do in this recovery but I just wanted to thank you for a real turning point yesterday and to let you know that I am so glad that I know you and that you are in the world doing this healing work. You are amazing!!! Please feel free to share any of this for your testimonials ect…., you guys are really good. And I wanted to tell Ken that his comment about the Christmas Kraut being like a symphony in his mouth really warmed my spirit. I shared this with my friend who helped me make the kraut and coming from Ken that is very high praise! It is wonderful to share food with people you know will appreciate it.

All best wishes for the holiday season!

D. F., Chapel Hill, NC

i feel SO much better. my headache is gone, my energy is back, the aches are gone. there is always so much to be grateful for, and this thanksgiving i will give thanks for you.

peace and blessings,

l.b., Apex, NC

I wanted to let you know that the pain in my neck and shoulders has been relieved to the point that it appears to be nonexistent now. So thank you! I have not noticed any discomfort in my left knee so the acupuncture and the oil treatment have effect. I am glad to see OHS has added another skilled professional to their staff. See ya in a couple of weeks.

R.T., Raleigh, NC

How are you doing? I hope well. I want to update you, as you requested, on my response to the treatment. Basically, I have been singing your praises :-) The pain in my shoulders, including the more severe pain in the left one, improved a lot or was absent for the first week. The pain in the left shoulder has crept back in, but is responsive to stretching and relaxing it. The pain and tingling/odd sensations still radiate down my left arm, though. The right side feels fine. I’ve been off the antihistamine since the Tuesday after our appointment and started the herbs on Saturday. The rash had started to come back, but it’s very minimal now. I have some on my elbows, but that’s all I can see/feel. When I worked out in the yard last Saturday from about 7-11AM, I developed a little bit of rash near my knees, but it went away after about 24 hours. In the past 1-2 years, I would have had the rash on my arms, shoulders and legs after getting that hot and sweaty, so it’s definitely an improvement. Okay, I hope that’s what you were looking for :-) I’ll see you at 1 PM on Monday!

Take care,

M. Z., Chapel Hill, NC

hope everything is well with you. I can’t tell you how impressed I was after my first appointment. It was a wonderful experience for me. I wanted to be sure to send you an email to let you know how I’m doing. I’m happy to report that I’m feeling really great. I’m not symptom-free but I’m greatly improved. Some days are better than others but overall there’s been improvement. I’m still having some pain but the other symptoms are pretty mild. The supplements are going over really well. I haven’t had a bad reaction to them and they seem to make my eating much less painful.

Thanks so much for all of your help. I’m looking forward to my next visit!

H.C. Durham, NC

Good Morning! Hope you had a good weekend. I wanted to let you know that I am still feeling lots of relief from my back/hip. I have probably smiled more this weekend, slept better, and just overall been happier this weekend than I have since August of last year. I am so grateful to you. I do still have some discomfort in that area and some in the rib area but what you did on Thursday has definitely given me some relief and I look forward to my appointment this Thursday.

Thank you again and I hope you have a great day!

K.K., RTP, NC

Hello all,
I am pleased to announce for the first time in a year, I danced the whole night last night!!!!!!!!!! I have been doing acupuncture with a practitioner at Oriental Health Solutions and I fully attribute my ability to dance again to the wonderful work he has done to help me. Thank you so much! We have to keep this going! I can’t tell you how happy I am!

I do know one thing…..acupuncture works

Thank you all!
Love ya,

D. F., Raleigh, NC

Increased ability to move, bend and walk. The treatments have increased my daily movements without pain!

K.W., Hillsborough, NC

I just loooove getting treatments. Not only do they help my arthritis but they are sooo relaxing. I hardly notice the needles going in and then, right after the needles go in, I feel this total relaxation coming over me that feels so nourishing, I can hardly describe it. I feel like I am in a trance state.”

A wonderful feeling!,

A. J., Durham, NC

I can’t believe my osteoarthritis is 100 % gone. After you explained to me about inflammatory foods and encouraged me to make changes the pain is gone! I thought I was eating healthy until you informed me otherwise. I am fine after only ONE visit!

L.A., Durham, NC

Number two reason is you have done such a good job, that I feel my health is at a point that is good now (as long as I continue to eat healthy). I wanted to say a great big Thank You for everything. When I first came in I felt low energy, aches and pains, headaches, twisting in my stomach. And now, I have energy, I have no headaches and no aches and pains and no twisting in my stomach. At this point, I feel as long as I continue to feed my body good food that it will continue to get strengthened. I feel so much healthier. Thank you, thank you, Thank you. You do your job very well. I will miss coming in, I enjoyed chatting with you. I wish you the very best in all that you set your hands upon. I will definitely mention you to everyone I know, and refer people to you. Again, thank you so much for all you have done for me.

Bless you, L. B., Cary, NC

Wanted to give you an update: my neck/shoulders are both feeling much better! I have slept well since Saturday night… the best in over two weeks! So, I have you to thank for most of this. We visited friends in Wilmington Sunday and they are interested in finding an acupuncturist in that area. And thank you both for your support… I feel so GOOD!

C. H. Durham, NC

I will be grateful when we finally get to AZ. Thank you for all you’ve done for me. My headaches are 95 % better. I appreciate it more than you know. All the best to you for the years to come.